The Covid crisis has highlighted the need to generate spaces for dialogue and collective action that will allow us to be more resilient and respond to environmental, social and economic challenges. We want to generate spaces for community dialogue, to create a common future in shared civic spaces, which allow us to generate links that connect us to good living (understood as a dignified, full and harmonious life with the planet) by welcoming the diversity of points of view in this rural area.

Fresnedillas de la Oliva, Western highlands region (Comarca Sierra Oeste), Madrid area, Spain

It is a village of 1900 inhabitants with 28 nationalities. In addition, people from the city have settled in the municipality, so rural-urban diversity is also present. Although these and more diversities exist, there are few points of connection between the different people who live in the municipality, fewer and fewer commercial premises and lack of local employment. This is a latent polarization, since people respect each other and there is not a very strong tension, there are few points of encounter and recognition, therefore a risk of greater polarization in times of current crisis (health, economic, climate, etc.) and a loss of opportunities to boost participation and societal cohesion in the village, that can spread as an example in the region.

We are approaching this thinking that hopefully at the end of the process we could say that we are doing it with and not for the target groups. We have designed a series of methods that can connect with diverse profiles of interest (e.g. a participatory game for the younger ones or dialogues based on polarities that worry local people as core topics and local neighbours as starting speakers and through deep democracy, welcoming all voices and process them for deeper understanding), inviting at least:
People of diverse ages, making sure it is possible to participate.
People that were born here and new inhabitants.
People that are leading changes locally and others don't want changes.
People from diverse cultures and origins.
People that are unemployed and self-employed.
...

To start with the GoDeep game to play and open the centre (as a way to annouce the project, the game starts and within it more and more people join to be part of)
To generate dialogues (open forums for deep democracy) for diverse people that will allow us to connect with the good life and which will generate processes of prosperity in this rural environment.
To boost the space as a civic reference in the municipality and in the region, where courses, conferences, meetings... are held that allow for real interaction between diverse people and projects.
To accompany and articulate a network of people, diverse groups that recognize each other and collaborate together.
To build a narrative of understanding between different actors focusing on the common (Future scenarios).

Community life would be different: strengthened relations among diverse people in the municipality and in the area, more local employment thanks to local initiatives that are running and supporting mutually (support to the existing ones and to emerging ones), and a civic centre as an intercultural reference for the good living. The loss of opportunities of the soft polarization would be transformed into practices of dialogue and a growing culture of processing conflicts related to diversity and there will be a lower risk of high polarization in the context of crisis.

The core is to create a civic space of intercultural reference for good living, generating spaces of intercultural encounter among diverse people that allow us to connect with the good living, the care of the Earth and our closest environment, leading processes of prosperity in this rural environment. Through a participatory game (GoDeep game), the centre starts. Dialogue meetings that promote democracy and active citizenship (like open forums for deep democracy and other methods designed to process polarities), whose themes are chosen by the citizens themselves before serve to build a narrative of understanding between different actors focusing on the commons. Processes to accompany collaborations between people and diverse groups that recognize and promote projects together take place.

We are part of this village and live in person the challenges we describe. We struggle when realizing the potential of the area and the loss of oportunities, as well as the risks of increasing polarization. Many times we live as a contradiction to foster these processes in other areas and not in the place that we live.
Now we aim to apply our knowledge, skills and exprience to the local challenges (as this is usually not easy to happen due to the lack of resources and spaces, that make us work outside more and have less time to apply locally). The same process that happen to us happen to many here. There are many ideas that are ready to emerge and can happen in the context of the intercultural dialogue and good living (buen vivir in all senses) through participation and mutual support.

Facilitation of the whole process: 24.800 €
Project consultancy: 7.000 €
Communication costs (web, social media, communication plan, posters, etc.): 5000 €
Open days at the end of the year: 3.000 €
Meeting expenses: meals, snacks, etc: 1.200 €
Video(s) for social networks: 3.000 €
Material expenses expendable material: 7.000 €

We would like to receive suggestions of:
- Methods that are inspiring and match with our idea
- Examples that are similar in other parts of the world
- Risks that are foreseen as likely by others
- Emotions that emerge while reading
Anything that people genuinely think is important to say.